Within this…universe, there is a domain known as ‘Kushen,’ inside the boundaries of 'Kushen' is a world by the name of ‘Celestial Moon,’ named after its hegemon, the ‘Celestial Moon Palace.’ Home to the ‘Celestial Moon world’ are six hundred forty-eight continents, some small and some large, some abundant and some destitute. Among these continents, there is one named ‘Grand Qin’, where four mighty empires, ‘Tyrant Sword,’ ‘Myriad Pills,’ ‘Azure Sky,’ and ‘Nine Sun’, prosper.

Among them, the ‘Nine Sun Empire’ is, without a doubt, the weakest, whether it be by the account of land within its border, its inconsequential bit of wealth, or by the level of cultivators that stood at its peak. Despite this, the empire still exists to this very day, boasting over three thousand years of history, its borders untouched by the three empires that surrounded it…

*****

It was night and the skies were covered by dark clouds, yet a large, bright moon still shone through, gently illuminating the world below it. With a young girl, about twelve, huddled in his arms, a man’s hooded figure, covered in pale brown smudges and coated in black soot, could be seen making his way through the verdant plains that lay outside the Nine Sun Imperial capital’s eastern gates. Each small step of his seemed weak and unsteady, but it carried him many li across the ground as heaven and earth distorted beneath his feet. The figure stealthily made his way up to the giant steel gates that guarded the empire’s heart. With a gentle wave of his hand, the hooded figure bent the space around the steel gate, causing the minuscule opening between them to expand, and throttled through it swiftly, entering the imperial city quietly.

“Forty thousand years…forty thousand years passed like the blink of an eye, even you have fallen as well, Mingren. To think that we were destined to never cross path once more. All those promises we made each other; it looks like we both failed in the end…” The hooded figure muttered in reminiscence, his voice weak and hoarse, as he wandered the imperial city’s paved paths. “In those last moments…were you as lonely as I am now…?”

Silently making his way through the slums of the northern district, the figure came to a halt in front of a small and broken manor. The figure gently sighed as he removed his hood, revealing a gaunt and weathered face, marred by countless scars, fresh and old. The man looked to be in his late fifties, weakened and worn by the passage of time.

Among forests of magnificent dwellings belonging to the Imperial city’s nobility, this small and broken manor sat at the northernmost edge, right across from the slums of the northern district. The wooden frame the manor’s stone gate sat upon had long worn down, leaving the gates propped up against the brick walls. The plaque above its broken gates were so worn that the words written on it had become impossible to read.

“So this is the last of our lineage…Longjie, I’ve been a bad brother…haven’t I?” The man whispered faintly, the distant figure of a spirited young girl and the countless wonderful memories that accompanied her flashed across his mind, reminding him of the days he could never relive…

Awakening from his trance, the man let out a soft sigh as he gently placed the child in his arms on the ground and knelt down beside her.

The little girl looked to be around twelve, her dainty face was caked in dust and her eyelids quivered faintly, struggling to remain open. She wore torn robes that were covered in fade brown stains. But despite her dirty and worn appearance, her listless eyes were strikingly beautiful, her left eye shone pale green, like spring leaves in full bloom and her right eye glittered light blue, akin to a jewel forged from the brilliant sky.

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“Qingtian…you must stay strong, I cannot bear to leave you, but it’s not safe for you to remain with me…” The man spoke softly as he placed a small jade ring in the little girl's hands. “Go inside…you will be much safer here…daddy…daddy promises, daddy will definitely come back for you one day!”

“Daddy…” The little girl, Qingtian, whispered meekly, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I want to stay with you. Please don’t go…”

“No…you cannot…I paid too much of a price in the previous battle…I can no longer ensure my own safety, much less yours…I do not wish to wrong you once more…please, Qingtian, stay strong for daddy…” The man refused in a heavy tone.

With a heavy heart, the man stood up slowly and turned away from the little girl, but before he could take a single step forward, he felt something tug at the corner at his cloak. It was the little girl, with her two tiny hands, she tightly gripped the hems of the man’s cloak, refusing to let go.

“Qingtian, let go…” The man spoke, his voice shaking.

“Daddy, are you going to leave Qingtian…*sniff* *sniff* …just like…*sniff*…mommy? …*sniff*…Qingtian promises…*sniff*…to be a good girl from now on…*sniff*…so please…*sniff*…don’t go…*sniff*…” the little girl choked out between sobs.

Hearing the words spoken by the little girl, the man’s heart lurched as his guilt overwhelmed him. Turning back around to face the girl, he fell down to his knees and pulled the little girl into his embrace as tears streamed down his own face.

“Qingtian…daddy is sorry…daddy is sorry…please don’t blame your mother for…what she did, it…it was all daddy’s fault,” the man apologized profusely as tears streamed down his face.

“Daddy…*sniff*…it’s okay…*sniff*…as long as daddy stays…*sniff*…with…*sniff*…Qingtian, Qingtian…*sniff*…doesn’t need…*sniff*…mommy…”

Every single word spoken by the little girl tugged at the man’s heartstrings, causing his spirit to waver. Could he really bear to do this to his own daughter? No! He screamed at himself furiously, there was no other way! No matter what, he refused to let her remain by his side! If she were to die in this place…so be it! but if she were to fall into their hands…

Gritting his teeth, the man whispered softly into the little girl’s ear.

“Qingtian…sleep…”

“Daddy…no…” Sensing the man’s spiritual force sweeping over her, the little girl screamed as she struggled madly to keep her eyes open. Going so far as to bite her own tongue until it bled, hoping to use the pain to keep herself awake, but despite her efforts, within a few breaths, she was sleeping deeply in the man’s arms.

Standing up slowly with the little girl in his arms, the man tenderly gazed upon the little girl’s sleeping face, the teardrops on her cheeks, and the little dribble of blood on her lips.

Why did it have to come to this? What went wrong? What did I do wrong?! The man couldn’t help but wonder…

Back then, if only he hadn’t been so weak…if only he hadn’t been so foolish…would his dearest daughter have to suffer like so? Would his beloved family have been broken apart like so? but all these regrets, do they mean anything at all? After forty thousand years of bitter struggles, bloody battles, and countless heartbreaks, beneath these vast heavens, what did he have left…save for the daughter he was about to abandon in this tiny, suffocating bird-cage?

All these misfortunes, all these calamities, why…why did they never cut him down? He had watched friend after friend fall, watched as their corpses paved his long, arduous path…he could remember, so painfully, so vividly, their smiling faces as they spoke their last farewells, the final words of comfort from them as they bade him to push forward. Why…why did they have to give their lives for him? What worth did they see in such a weak, powerless…fool? He was so weary, he was so tired, he was so…lonely…